As we reviewed in the first article, a fragmented approach to implementing AI creates all sorts of challenges and keeps companies from realizing the full benefits that AI can provide when teams collaborate outlined in the second article. So what should you consider when looking for a platform that will serve the whole organization? The answer will depend on your workflows, current technology in use, and your IT team but some important considerations include:
- Community: Ethical, reliable data is the backbone of AI technology and it is important to evaluate the source of data used in any AI applications.
- Security: Robust security features protect company data and ensure guardrails are in place.
- AI technologies: What mix of intelligent technologies are part of the solution? For example, machine learning (ML), natural language processing (NLP), and robotic process automation (RPA), along with Generative AI (GenAI) and AI Agents, it’s important to understand what technologies are used and how and where they are implemented across the solution.
- Integration: How streamlined is the solution and how resource intensive is it when implementing with existing systems?
Challenges in AI adoption for spend management
The spend management landscape is going through a seismic shift with the rise of GenAI and agentic agents offering significant benefits for organizations. By the end of 2025, AI-powered procurement solutions are poised to increase transaction speeds and dramatically reduce operational costs. But companies often face several hurdles in successfully implementing and scaling AI solutions across departments.
Getting started
Some of the key challenges when implementing and scaling AI solutions include:
- Data quality and integration issues: Many companies struggle with fragmented data across various systems and departments. This fragmentation makes it difficult to consolidate and analyze spending data effectively, hampering the ability to gain a holistic view of spending patterns and supply chain dynamics.
- Identifying high-impact use cases: Determining which AI applications will deliver the most value across multiple departments can be challenging, especially without a clear understanding of interdepartmental processes.
- Securing executive buy-in: Convincing leadership to invest in cross-functional AI initiatives may be difficult, particularly when ROI is not immediately apparent.
- Establishing clear success metrics: Defining and measuring the success of AI implementations across different departments with varying priorities and KPIs can be complex.
Assembling the cross-functional teams to assess and document the processes and workflows that can be streamlined with AI tools and then defining how these enhanced processes will flow between departments is a good first step.
Selecting the right AI solutions
Looking at the various options for AI solutions can be overwhelming. Once the stakeholders understand the workflows that AI needs to support, it’s easier to assess tools based on the efficiencies and features that are essential for the organization.
- Navigating a crowded marketplace: The rapid proliferation of AI vendors and solutions can make it challenging to identify the most suitable tools for specific organizational needs.
- Ensuring interoperability: Selecting AI solutions that can seamlessly integrate with existing systems and work across different departments is crucial but often complex.
- Balancing sophistication and usability: Finding AI tools that are advanced enough to deliver significant value while remaining user-friendly for non-technical staff can be difficult.
This is where IT plays a critical role in helping to assess the options, the technology department has deep knowledge of the technologies that the company uses and can help assess the best AI tools and implement those tools to get the most out of them.
Implementation hurdles
Once one or more tools are selected, the team can turn to implementation. Depending on the complexity, this process can be challenging.
- Data quality and accessibility: AI models require high-quality, accessible data from various sources. Inconsistent data formats, siloed information, and data privacy concerns can impede effective implementation.
- Resistance to change: Employees across departments may be hesitant to adopt new AI processes, fearing job displacement or struggling to adapt to new workflows.
- Skill gaps: Many organizations lack the in-house expertise to effectively implement and manage AI solutions, particularly when it comes to cross-functional applications.
- Ongoing maintenance: AI implementations should not be implemented and forgotten, these complex and quickly shifting technologies require ongoing maintenance, data updates, and systematic fine tuning. Approaching AI as a one-time project leads to systems that quickly become obsolete and ineffective.
By addressing these challenges head-on and fostering a culture of cross-functional collaboration, organizations can overcome these obstacles and unlock the full potential of AI in spend management.
Coupa AI Solutions: Amplifying value for multiple stakeholders
Coupa’s AI-powered spend management platform exemplifies how intelligent technologies can create compounding value across multiple stakeholders in an organization. By leveraging advanced AI and machine learning capabilities, Coupa offers a comprehensive solution that addresses the needs of procurement, finance, supply chain, and IT departments.
Unified AI-native platform for spend management
Coupa’s AI-native Total Spend Management platform provides a seamless integration across procurement, finance, and supply chain modules, ensuring a consistent user experience and data flow throughout the spend management process. This unified approach allows for:
- Real-time visibility into spend data across all departments
- AI insights that leverage data from the entire spend lifecycle
- A single source of truth for all spend-related activities and decisions
Cross-functional AI use cases
Coupa AI offers numerous use cases that benefit multiple stakeholders simultaneously:
Spend analytics for procurement and finance
Coupa’s AI-powered spend analytics provide deep insights into spending patterns, helping both procurement and finance teams to:
- Identify cost-saving opportunities
- Optimize supplier relationships
- Improve budget forecasting and financial planning
Supplier risk assessment for procurement and supply chain
Coupa AI risk assessment tools analyze vast amounts of data to provide real-time insights into supplier stability, compliance, and performance. This benefits both procurement and supply chain teams by:
- Enabling proactive risk mitigation strategies
- Improving supply chain resilience
- Supporting more informed supplier selection decisions
AI-powered contract management for legal, procurement, and finance
Coupa’s intelligent contract management solution enhances collaboration between legal, procurement, and finance departments by:
- Automating contract review and analysis
- Identifying potential risks and opportunities in contract terms
- Ensuring compliance with company policies and regulations
IT-friendly implementation and management
Coupa AI is designed with an architecture that is IT friendly, seamlessly integrating into the company’s overall cloud-native platform. The AI components, including GenAI and language models, are hosted in a logically isolated network managed by Coupa, ensuring security and compliance. This architecture allows for easy integration with existing systems while maintaining data isolation and privacy. IT teams benefit from the platform’s scalability, robust security measures, and comprehensive audit trails, which simplify compliance and control processes.
See our white paper, Unleashing Productivity and Growth with AI, to learn more about how Coupa AI supports cross-functional teams.
Embracing the AI multiplier effect
By taking a collaborative, cross-functional approach to AI implementation in spend management, organizations can unlock exponential value. Coupa’s AI solutions are designed to facilitate this synergy, providing a unified platform that amplifies the benefits across procurement, finance, supply chain, and IT departments.
We’re so much more when we come together as one, and at Coupa we believe, “None of us is as smart as all of us.”
Visit the Coupa AI platform page to learn more.
